The Famous Cabbage Soup Diet

The cabbage soup diet is one of the most well known of the fad diets. Many people have tried it over the years but just remember that it is fad and weight loss is rarely permanent with quick weight loss diet fads plus sometimes they can have a bad effect on your health. So keep the disclaimer in mind while reading that this is not a permanent way of eating and if you want to lose weight you should discuss it with your doctor and get his advice.

If you want to try to lose weight in a seven day period, the Cabbage Soup Diet may be just the diet for you. This diet is intended to be used for a seven day period following the instructions, ingredients and proportions exactly. If after one week, you still feel that you must lose additional weight, wait two weeks eating normally during that period, then repeat the Cabbage Soup Diet for one more week. The Cabbage Soup Diet doesn’t provide you with all the nutrients needed for a permanent way of eating, but it’s a great ‘shock’ diet to get you started on your weight loss program.

The Cabbage Soup consists of 6 green onions; 2 green peppers; 1-2 cans tomatoes; 3 carrots, 10-oz mushrooms; one bunch of celery; half head of cabbage, a package of dry soup mix; 2 bouillon cubes; 48 oz of V-8 juice and seasoning to taste. The ingredients are brought to a boil and simmered for two hours. The amount of soup desired can be heated and eaten as required. You may eat as much of the soup as you like during the entire duration of the seven days.

The daily plan in addition to bottomless soup is as follows: Day One: - all the fresh fruit desired except bananas; Day Two - unlimited raw or cooked vegetables and one baked potato with butter if you wish; Day Three – Unlimited fruits except bananas and unlimited vegetables but no potato; Day Four – Up to eight bananas and as much skim milk as you want; Day Five -- Six tomatoes and up to 20 ounces of beef, skinless chicken or broiled fish; Day Six -- Unlimited vegetables and up to 20 ounces of beef or skinless chicken. Broiled fish can be substituted for beef on one of the days only; Day Seven – unlimited quantities of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice and vegetables

Again, this is not a diet for extended periods. If you experience symptoms such as nausea, lightheadedness and weakness, discontinue the regimen. You should visit a health care professional if the side effects continue once you’ve returned to ‘normal’ eating. Most people tolerate the bloated gassy feeling because they know it’s only for seven days and the expectation that they can lose up to ten pounds in one week with no chance of hunger pangs makes it worth while.